Live Immediately With Mike Campbell

I am so excited to welcome back Canna Campbell to the podcast. It was way back in episode two when I spoke to Canna about Minimalism and Money. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I have linked to it in the show notes below. Canna is a financial planner, has been running her business for over 11 years, and is the wonderful woman behind Sugarmamma.tv, with millions of views across her YouTube channel. The reason Canna connects with so many people from all over the world is that she simplifies all things finance, she understands the goal is lifestyle, and she helps people to improve their own financial wellbeing. In this episode we discuss the importance of setting financial goals and educating yourself about money, building passive income, Canna’s brilliant “$1,000 project”, and her new Sugar Budget App that helps you stay on top of your money. We also talk about all things motherhood—the struggle to juggle motherhood and business, the learnt skill of distraction when dealing

Taking the leap, that step into the unknown, leaving the security of predictability, is difficult to do. That first step, that very first decision, is often the thing that holds so many people back. Because to do it, you need to step over and through your fears and self-limiting beliefs. But taking that leap to follow his heart is exactly what my guest today, Tobias, did. Tobias tells stories about growing up on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, how during his teenage years he was lost due to the death of his mother, and how music saved him through the dark periods in his life. And it would be that music that Tobias takes the leap for, or “taking the drop” as Tobias puts it. You see, when a close friend passed away Tobias saw how fragile life is, and how short it can be. He asked himself the tough question, “What do you really want?” To play music and be a travelling musician was what his heart answered. So Tobias packed up his design and architect career to follow his heart into music. T

Massive decisions like selling the family home, packing up the kids, and embarking on a beautiful family adventure—to live, travel, and explore a different continent, don’t happen over night. Heck, they don’t even happen in a matter of weeks or months either. For my guest today, a Live Immediately Podcast alumni, Ben McAlary, his vision, wishes, dreams and idea of this family adventure has been a topic of conversation with his wife Brooke, for over five years, and I am beyond happy for the McAlary family that they are literally days away from boarding the plane. I loved this chat with Ben as we discuss some deep topics about preparing for a trip with so many unknowns. Cutting the logistical and emotional ties by selling the family home instead of renting it out, bringing your children into the decision process, the hard work involved to make things happen, and the joy and anticipation of discovering a new daily rhythm. Ben talks about how his motto at the beginning of 2017 was “to take

In this final episode of the summer series I bring you my chat with Natalie Walton. I have had the pleasure of meeting Natalie in person a number of times since our chat and I absolutely love the “give it a go” attitude that Natalie has. Natalie manages to juggle a couple of businesses, four children, and a new property in the hinterland of the Central Coast in Australia. Natalie talks about co-parenting, her love of simplicity, and her communal way of dishing up dinner. I know life isn’t always easy for Natalie, but what I love is easy isn’t what Natalie is striving for. It is a life lived, where her children can watch and learn from their parent’s hard work. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

On the Summer Series this week I bring you a great conversation with Anthony Ongaro. Anthony is behind the website Break The Twitch and I wanted to include this episode as Anthony had a lot of twitches in his life. Little things that he’d do, and by themselves didn’t add up to much, but over time, collectively they did. You see, Anthony used to simply purchase, with one click, small, under $30 items from Amazon. Amazon has just launched in Australia and I hope we can learn from this episode and the mistakes Anthony made so we don’t do the same—mindlessly purchasing items we don’t really need. Anthony and I also chat about your ideal or perfect day and what it might look like and how it aligns with your values. I think any time of year is the right time to think about your values and to consider if how you’re spending your days aligns with them. But as it is a fresh new year, now is even a better time. How do you want to spend your days in 2018, what does your perfect day lo

On the Summer Series this week I bring you a conversation I had with a very special friend of mine, Tom Glafcke, who I met while my family and I were housesitting a log cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin a couple of years back. I loved learning from Tom’s stories, and his deliberate yet simple ways. Tom has lived life with contentment, happiness, and love. He has this beautiful optimistic personality that invites you along for the ride. One of the reasons I wanted to include this conversation in the Summer Series is the connection Tom makes between aliveness and struggle. As he says, “It is in the struggle where the excitement is.” It is something that I personally think about a lot when things might not be going the way I had planned, or I feel like I am in the middle of struggling with something. I think about this conversation with Tom, and that it is in that struggle that I truly feel alive, that I’m learning and growing. Tom has helped me see the beauty in the struggle. Tom has

First in the Summer Series is my great chat I had with Angela Lockwood. Angela is an occupational therapist, speaker, mother and author. I absolutely loved her recent book - Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World. And switching off is exactly what I am doing over the Christmas break. I’m switching off from all social media and most technology. Even with the Summer Series of the podcast, I have pre-recorded everything, pre programmed each episode, and I’m not promoting them across social media. I am not on social media that much and I already batch my time on social media, however I am going to enjoy this digital detox for a few weeks over Christmas. So with that in mind I couldn’t think of a better episode to start the Summer Series than this one. Hopefully it will encourage you to switch off a little too. In this conversation with Angela we speak about topics that are close to my heart - The importance of slowing down, how we spend our time, creating boundaries around technology use,

Living smallish can sometimes be a challenge, as you need to intentionally think about each item you have and be considerate to which new items you bring into your life. It is even more of a challenge when you throw a husband and four children into the mix. But that is the beautiful challenge my guest today, Evelyn Rennich, lives each and every day. I love Evelyn’s story, as her minimal way of life is one that started from a financial need, but became one she fully embraced. Evelyn and I dive into many topics in this episode; learning through difficult times, the work involved with being intentional, and how living minimally can help with that feeling of being buried by the pace of life. We also discuss family and the affect a cluttered home has on our children, cluttering up our calendar, gift giving at Christmas time, protecting the white space in your life, and holding onto things loosely, a phrase I absolutely love. Evelyn is a loving mother who works things out the best way she can for her family.

What does freedom mean to you? What does it look like? How could you inject more freedom into your daily life? My guest today, Natalie Sisson, is all about creating freedom in business and adventure in life. For the past seven years Natalie has been living out of her suitcase, while running her business and travelling to over 70 countries. In this episode Natalie talks about building a business that supports your lifestyle not one that takes over it, the importance of taking action to get past the first hurtle, minimal living, and the future of work. But don’t be confused, this episode isn’t purely about business or about travel. It is about cultivating personal daily freedom and aligning your values. How ever that might look for you. Natalie is obsessed with freedom and is on a mission to help you simplify your life, feel connected, live mindfully and develop personal freedom. As 2017 draws to a close and we start thinking about how we want 2018 to unfold, Natalie has created the “How to Pl

This episode had a huge impact on my life, and I know if you listen to it, do the work, it will change yours too and have a beautiful rippling affect. Shawn Askinosie is the founder and CEO of Askinosie Chocolate, a small business based in Springfield, Missouri. Their chocolate is world-renowned, award winning and Forbes recently named them as “One of the 25 Best Small Companies In America”. But this episode isn’t about chocolate, it’s about chocolate. (something that you’ll understand once you’ve listened). You see, the way Shawn does business is the way it should be taught in business school. Shawn’s beautiful business model is all about direct trade with farmers of coco beans in the Philippines, Tanzania and Ecuador, about open book management, profit sharing, reverse scale, kinship and community. Shawn and I dive into all of those topics and how his company sustainably feeds thousands of children who were once malnourished, without donations, simply giving money o

Krista O'Reilly-Davi-Digui is the beautiful writer behind the website - a life in progress. I admire Krista, as her writing is so honest, on both sides of the coin. Krista rips down the curtains and bares the beauty in the rawness, in a way that is comforting and helpful to others. We go quite deep in this episode as Krista opens up about attempting suicide three times before she was 18 and then deciding to choose to live life over death. Krista shares stories about how joy and pain can coexist and how you don’t find joy by trying to eliminate pain, how she has realised the beautifulness in the messy and not striving for perfection, and learning to forgive herself by showing up each day with compassion and love. Our conversation takes a wonderful turn when we start discussing parenting, how each child is unique in many different ways, and the importance of understanding ourselves when parenting with compassion and curiosity. Krista said something that really resonated with me. “Be a student of you

“Could we change our lives to become an outdoor family?” This was the question Hannah Alexander asked herself before embarking on a year experiment with her family—to spend at least three hours each day outside for a year. This is such a cool experiment and one that has fundamentally changed Hannah, her kids, and her family as a whole. Hannah and I discuss the benefits of nature in regards to child development, how children are designed to be outside, the beauty in unstructured time and how nature is the perfect place to play. Hannah also shares stories of how she changed her habits over the year, potential barriers of getting outside, and how we can easily modify our indoor activities to do them outside. During the year experiment, Hannah also had a month of no screens for entertainment, and a separate month where she packed away the majority of her children’s toys. I absolutely loved this chat and I hope Hannah’s story inspires anyone who has children in their lives to do more

So often you can feel stuck in the overwhelm of life, feeling like you don’t have any option to change your situation. In this episode I talk with a wonderful woman, Amanda Lee, about the power of intention and getting clear on what you want, that is coming from your heart. Listening to your heart and not your head is a recurring theme in this episode. Amanda and I discuss how many of our decisions are based in fear, the need for fulfilment and purpose, cutting the struggle, creating space, and meaningful alignment. Amanda also talks about five key steps to getting in the flow and she uses the acronym LifeRAFT. LIFE - See life in a new picture. Recognise that everything, including you, is just energy, and that you have the ability to work with this in a very powerful way. R- Reveal your real choices. Get clear on what you really want, coming from your heart, not your head. A - Align yourself energetically with what it is you choose. This includes your thoughts, words and ac

As sure as the sun will rise in the east, our days start when we wake up and get out of bed. Today I am talking everything mornings with Craig Kulyk, who runs the website creategoodmornings.com. Taking control of my mornings has been a big game changer for me, and the catalyst to so much change in my life. To be honest, without working on, testing, tweaking my mornings, I don’t think Live Immediately would be where it is today and you might not be listening to this podcast Craig and I discuss how to create your own good morning and things to consider when starting out, the importance of doing something you want to do and changing things up or experimenting with your mornings, and focussing on small wins. We also dive into how your mornings are all about building habits, the benefits of tracking your habits, and how your evenings are just as vital as your mornings and how the two are so strongly linked. When you have little ones running around, the thought of owning your mornings can feel like a utopian

Today on the podcast I’m chatting with Hugh Culver—husband, father of two, business builder and adventure lover. I have always admired Hugh as he moves from work, family and fun each day with the same excited and optimistic step. In this episode Hugh and I discuss the different phases of parenthood and how time commitments change and evolve as your children get older, creating habits in your day that turn into discipline, and cultivating change in your life. We also talk about the importance of one-on-one time with your kids and involving them in the decision process. At the end of the episode Hugh asks everyone to, “look at one simple habit that you can do everyday that’s going to make you feel better.” I’d love for you to email me or leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram and let me know what your one simple habit was. Hugh is a fun guy that works at filling his life with things that he enjoys. And to me, that is something worth working at. I hope you enjoy x www.l

Changing your life is always difficult. Throw kids and a family into the mix and it is no wonder that many people stop before they start. Today on the podcast I’m with Zoe Kim, who is a mother of four, the author of the new book Minimalism For Families: Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life, and the voice behind TheMinimalistPlate.com. Zoe and I chat about minimalism for families, the challenges when bringing new ideas into the household and how to get your kids and significant other on-board, letting go of sentimental items, the fear of missing out, and the importance of taking action. Zoe also touches on an essential point—that in the beginning of any change, things will be challenging and uncomfortable, but we need to allow ourselves to be uncomfortable with our feelings to progress, grow, and allow the change to take place. This is a great chat and one I know many people have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

“Be patient with yourself, it does take time.” - Brooke McAlary I am excited to have friend, teacher, and all round beautiful human, Brooke McAlary, back on the podcast this week. Brooke and her husband Ben are the wonderful souls behind the hugely influential Slow Home Podcast, and are two people that have helped, guided, and encouraged Inga and I in many of the big life decisions we have made over the past few years. Brooke’s latest book SLOW has recently been released in Australia and New Zealand. It is part memoir, part practical companion, and provides a fascinating insight into the benefits of slowing down. It will inspire you to forget about the Joneses and create a life filled with the things that really matter to you. Brooke will be doing an Author Talk in my hometown of Newcastle on Wednesday September 27 from 6.30pm at the Hunter Design School. It is set to be a fun evening and I hope to see you there if you’re in the neighbourhood. In this episode Brooke and I really dive d

The big questions are often the most important but the hardest to ask, especially when you’re asking yourself. My guest today, Emily Ehlers, started asking herself the big questions—What do I value? What is important to me? — When her mother in-law passed away from brain cancer. My conversation with Emily takes many twists and turns as we discuss parenthood and allowing our children to grow, values and realigning our true north, and the numbness of drifting through life. Emily is an eco warrior and we talk about moving towards zero waste, how we need to be gentle with our partners when bringing new ideas into the household, and Emily also shares some great tips when starting out towards zero waste. We also talk about how we, too often, are chasing that imaginary finishing line—waiting for a magical day to arrive where we can be happy and fulfilled. But how that day we have been waiting for, is today. Emily shares a brilliant Less/More exercise where you write down what you want less of

The home is so important when it comes to living a simpler life as it depicts many of our daily habits. My guest today is the lovely Angela Foong, one third of the sister trio behind the beautiful High Tea With Mrs Woo label. Angela and her architect husband Matt have built a small home on what used to be their neighbour’s garage plot. This deliberate home is more than a roof over their family’s head, it was a home built to create behavioural change. Angela looked inward and asked the very important question, “What would you like to be doing every day?” Spending time with her family, exploring, camping, cooking, getting outside, creating. So she built a home to allow all that to happen. Angela and I touch on so many topics in this chat; being thoughtful about money, family values and providing a better future for our kids, simple living and being thoughtfully frugal, and Angela’s wonderful empty pantry pot-luck dinner parties. I personally can’t wait for the next one. Like

Personal debt gradually tightens its grip around us, slowly building up and weighing us down emotionally. This is exactly what happened to my guest today, Elesha Piper. It didn’t happen over night but she accumulated $15,000 in credit card and personal loans—a large amount of money, but an amount that is so easily achievable. In this episode Elesha describes how personal debt isn’t a topic we generally like talking about as there is so much shame attached to it. And she hopes that by talking about her debt and how she overcame it, she can help and encourage other people to do the same and free themselves from the emotional rollercoster that debt delivers. Elesha talks about how she decluttered her finances first and then decluttered her stuff, tips when decluttering and where to start, and we discuss the notion of why women tend to be more affected by clutter than men. Stuff and money go hand-in-hand. If you’re holding one you generally have less of the other. I hope you enjoy x www.li